A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Once forced out of their homes and villages, many statement givers described traveling in large groups
of extended family or following groups of strangers to get to a relatively safe destination. Liberians
were forced to walk for days, weeks, and often months to get to safety. One statement giver described
having to leave for Guinea after having lived in Nimba County all her life. 57 She walked for nine days
traveling with a group of some 30 family members. Another statement giver described her traverse
to Guinea. She left Ganta in 1994 after being repeatedly raped and beaten while in rebel custody. 58
While walking in the forest I met a huge group of displaced people walking
toward Ganta and joined them to walk to Côte d’Ivoire. I spent three weeks
walking. No food. Starving. Another attack occurred with people being
killed, raped. 59
Food and water along the travel routes was scarce to non-existent. One statement giver described
eating wild fruits to survive. 60 Another statement giver remembered going for days and sometimes
weeks between locating a source of clean water. 61 As noted above, the lack of food and water led to
death by starvation of vulnerable individuals such as children and the elderly. One statement giver
now living in Ghana told the TRC that her three-year-old son had died one day (as she carried him
on her back while trying to walk out of Liberia) because there was no food. 62 A statement giver now
in Atlanta told the TRC that:
Because I was unable to bring food with me, my daughter…died because of
lack of nutrition and food. She died in Bomi. They couldn’t find anything
to eat. I was looking for cassava to eat. People grew it and they left some
behind. You see cassava leaf and you dig for the root. Otherwise there was
nothing else to eat. 63
Numerous statement givers, and those traveling with them, were suffering from injuries and other
illnesses as they tried to escape further harm. Medical care was difficult to find, as were medications
and treatment for what should have been non-fatal illnesses. One statement giver who now lives in
Ghana told the TRC that her mother died en route to Sierra Leone as a result of complications from
hypertension. 64 Another told of his mother treating his father’s heart condition with herbs because his
father ran out of medication as they were fleeing the fighting. 65 Another statement giver now in Ghana
told the TRC about an attack by LURD in 2003 on her home in Duala, during which her husband and
son were killed in front of her and she miscarried because of being beaten:
My neighbor was leaving. I was still sick, but my neighbor brought me along.
We walked to Guinea. We were on the road for months because my health
was so bad and I had to rest a lot. We saw fighting as we were walking.
We would hide in the bush. Shots were fired over our heads…My neighbor
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Chapter Thirteen